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Dire Troll
The dire troll stands alone, a beast so fierce even other trolls will uproot themselves and migrate away when a dire troll enters the region. Contact with these creatures has been shunned and avoided by even the most battle-seasoned trollkin shamans or fell callers, even those boasting a bond over the savage breeds linked to their bloodlines. The appearance of dire trolls fighting alongside the trollkin in recent conflicts is a dire omen for all those who have drawn the wrath of these proud people. By answering the call to battle, the dire trolls have brought unequalled aggression and raw fury to the trollkin kriels.No Quarter #6 Fortunately for other creatures walking Caen, the dire troll is not a numerous breed, its own ferocity and territorial nature keeping it spread thin across wide regions of the wilderness. They are most numerous in the Wyrmwall Mountains and the Scarsfell Forest, with some few carving out territories in the Gnarls and the Cloutsdown Fenns. They have learned to avoid human regions, as humans invariably band together to exterminate them. All things being equal most human towns and small cities would just as soon never deal with a dire troll menace. So long as they have kept to remote areas, there has been no organized attempt to root them out. Biological Overview Dire trolls hunt and roam across a large area, and have been known to chase out and slay any creatures they consider competition, including smaller full-blood trolls. The only creatures they endure for extended periods are diminutive pygmy trolls, more commonly called “pygs.” As with other full blooded trolls, the dire trolls can produce ‘whelps’ — small degenerate trolls which are not true offspring — when a body part is severed, and their whelps live several years before expiring. Some human scholars theorize the great brutes mistake pygs for their own whelps, but this could be a natural symbiotic relationship. Even pygs and whelps fall prey to dire troll hunger, but usually only when all other sources of food are exhausted. Few have spent any time with dire trolls in the wild, for obvious reasons, which has caused an underestimation of their intelligence. While their culture is primitive, particularly compared to the trollkin, they are far from beasts. They possess a limited spoken vocabulary and simple language, uniquely their own, not based on Molgur-Trul. It’s possible this language predates the Molgur alliance, of which dire trolls were never a part. In recent months dire trolls have picked up significant words of the language used by the other trollkin and are intelligent enough to respond to these terms. As with full-blood trolls, hunger and extreme aggression have been barriers to more sophisticated culture between them. The sheer amount of food required to support their metabolism makes them jealous of each other and prone to battles for territory. The main interaction between dire trolls is reserved to mating, which requires searching outside of their normal territory. Dire troll females rarely tolerate males after they become pregnant, driving them away. Dire trolls are born in pairs, and there is a prolonged period of over a decade when young are cared for by the mother. Once they can hunt and subsist on their own, they are driven out. What passes for language among the dire trolls is passed down by the females, who may be slightly more intelligent than the males, but no less fierce or territorial. Mature dire trolls pick a name for themselves in maturity, but also have an awareness of their bloodline, represented by a symbol. These are often branded into flesh as ritual scarification or tattoo. Perhaps after watching smaller full-blood trolls do similarly, dire trolls learned that fire-branding along with the mixing certain poisonous plant dyes creates long lasting colored marks on their skin. These eventually regenerate, but endure for months before needing to be replaced. One of the most remarkable aspects of the dire troll is their longevity, an extension of their phenomenal regenerative powers. It is suspected the dire trolls may live upward of three centuries, and perhaps they have no natural mortality, only succumbing to madness which pushes them into frenzies that bring their deaths indirectly. As a dire troll ages, they produce hardened growths, shared by other troll breeds to a lesser degree. Some are quills which serve in the place of body hair, but they also produce toughened calcified skin which becomes increasingly large and rocky with age. These are prominent on the dire troll’s shoulders and back, providing considerable natural protection. Similar growths are found on full-blood trolls and even elder male trollkin, particularly on the chin and arms. Dire Trolls & Hoarluk Doomshaper While most trollkin have tried to dismiss kinship with these untamable creatures, it was these similarities which drew the attention of one great shaman of the Gnarls, Hoarluk Doomshaper. Even before recent events Doomshaper had become a living legend among his people, respected and feared. From youth Hoarluk demonstrated great aptitude for Dhunian ritual. Yet it was his affinity and connection to trolls which has become his true legacy. While others are periodically born with the ability to tap into the minds and strength of full-blood trolls, Hoarluk delved these mysteries with singular focus. Hoarluk has explored the western region in search of old krielstones and other evidence of his people through the ages. He has tapped into ancient wisdom preserved and forgotten since the time of the Molgur, and added this lore to his perspective of his species. He has gone to places other trollkin avoid, and tamed bloodlines of full-troll others considered completely feral. It was inevitable he would turn his attention to the greatest breed of them all: the dire troll. Much of Hoarluk’s relationship with dire trolls remains a mystery known only to him. It is told he ventured alone into the wilds in early 603 AR, telling his kriels that he might never return. He explored the great trackless peaks of the Wyrmwall between Orven and Fharin. There he used his powers to observe the dire trolls, to learn their singular tongue, and pit his mind and will against their unfathomable and wild natures. One anecdote he has related to his kin was learning the posture by which dire trolls confront one another, likely similar to what occurs when a male seeks a mate. The dire troll intruded upon enacts a terrifying display against the outsider, shattering trees, howling, and ending with an all-out charge. For the outsider to demonstrate non-violent intent, it must stand still and un inching during this. The charging dire troll will punch the intruder in the chest and howl in his face; if the intruder does not retaliate, there are no further hostilities. Hoarluk witnessed this interchange between two dire trolls, after which they carried on a limited discourse, scratching at the ground to help illustrate, and later sharing the carcass of a mountain elk. Hoarluk used this knowledge to confront the dire trolls, following the same behavior, walking openly before one and announcing his presence in their tongue. He was forced to endure the display of a dire troll in its full rage, and then a rib-shattering punch to his sternum, all the while biting down on his pain and fear. While in close proximity he discovered his troll kinship could penetrate the thick skulls of the dire troll just as he had with other full-blood trolls. By speech and gesture, Hoarluk came to an accord with the dire troll, and soon contacted others, including one of the oldest and most feared dwelling in the Upper Wyrmwall. This enormous ancient first called Doomshaper “Krol,” the name he is now called by all dire trolls following his bidding. Hoarluk has not explained the meaning of this word, only heard to remark cynically, “they will not eat me.” Other shamans believe Doomshaper was able to teach them of the ties that binds their species. The term “Krol” may indicate belief he has a dire troll’s soul, reincarnated as a trollkin. Whatever the case may be, for the first time in the history of the west, dire trolls have given up isolation and endure the company of trollkin and other trolls to battle those whom Doomshaper names enemies. Notable Warbeasts * Dire Troll Bomber * Dire Troll Blitzer * Dire Troll Mauler References Category:Hordes Category:Trollbloods Category:Races Category:Trolls